August is probably our personal favorite month for traveling around Costa Rica.  It’s “winter” on the Tico calendar but a tropical beach fits perfectly into the mid-summer routine for north Americans and Europeans.

Let us know if you’d like some help planning an itinerary designed to take advantage of the August sun and surf in the mornings and afternoon/evening rains that green up the tropical foliage and cool things off.

We happily trade a brief storm or two to avoid the premium prices and crowds around Christmas, New Years, Easter and Spring Break in the peak season.

Costa Rica Weather in August

Both August and July typically have nicer weather than the months before and after.  It is the middle of the rainy season but many years there is a lull in the rains starting in July and ending in August – especially in Guanacaste. Costa Ricans call this little dry season veranillo, and if you’re lucky you won’t need your umbrella at all on a visit to the northwest.

The Caribbean side is creeping up on the sunny weather that’s normal in September and it’s one of our favorite destinations in August.

The majority of the rain falls in the afternoon or overnight everywhere in Costa Rica. The hot August sun evaporates moisture from the sea and rain forest canopy creating a layer of warm moist air that rises as the day progresses. As the air rises it expands and cools causing the water to condense out forming clouds. Later in the day as the temperatures fall the air can hold even less water and some of it falls as rain.

The rains are frequent enough to cool things off a bit on the beaches and in the lowlands with highs around 84 to 90 °F (29-32 °C) followed by overnight averages of  69 to 77 °F (21-25 °C).  Average temperatures around the central valley are usually 75 to 85 °F (24-29 °C) this time of year and it cools off more at night.

Planning Ahead & Reservations

In general “green season” (rainy season) vacations are gaining popularity in Costa Rica and August looks to be quite busy in 2022.   If you want the flexibility of traveling without a fixed itinerary or reservations August is a good choice but we recommend advance reservations for the more popular eco-lodges and beach areas.

Costs & Availability for Travel in August

Outdated info may suggest that August is a “low season” bargain but August has become one of the most popular months for travel and discounts have dried up.

Airfare is generally cheaper when purchased in advance but August is often featured in last minute sales. It’s worth setting a notification six or eight months in advance on a fare watcher site like kayak.com if you’re thinking about heading down in August.

Alternatives to August in Costa Rica

If your vacation time doesn’t fall in August try July – it has similar weather (slightly drier), the big surf swells and some of the low season discounts. May, June and November are also alternatives, each with a little more rain but even fewer people.

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Notes:

In in June through August we miss the long summer days up north.  Costa Rica has 12 hours of light since sun rise and sun set are about 6 o’clock year round in the tropics.

If you’re planning to rent a car you might want to take a look at the rainy season driving tips.

La Niña is set to continue for the second consecutive year (called a double dip) and higher ocean temperatures will tend to make August 2022 weather a little rainier than average on the Pacific side – Guancaste, Nicoya and the Osa – as well as in the central mountains.

Calendar of Nature, Holidays & Fiestas – Costa Rica in August

The Costa Rica tide table below is for informational purposes and is not suitable for navigation. The more you see of a turtle, whale or quetzal symbol the more likely you’ll see one. A detailed explanation and legend is also included at the bottom.

August 2022						approximate exchange rate ¢673 per $U.S.
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean
Sat 1		↑16:38 ↓3:31	↑5:29 ↓18:02	↑0:34 ↑12:54	↓6:32 ↓19:15
Sun 2		↑17:32 ↓4:28	↑5:29 ↓18:01	↑1:32 ↑13:49	↓7:32 ↓20:08
		Virgen de Los Angeles – National holiday celebrating the patron saint of Costa Rica, La Negrita. Special masses and a religious procession from San José to La Basilica de Cartago. Pilgrims come from all over the country, many on foot to celebrate the mass at Cartago.
Mon 3		↑18:21 ↓5:24	↑5:29 ↓18:01	↑2:25 ↑14:39	↓8:25 ↓20:54
Tue 4		↑19:07 ↓6:17	↑5:29 ↓18:01	↑3:12 ↑15:24	↓9:13 ↓21:37
Wed 5		↑19:49 ↓7:07	↑5:29 ↓18:00	↑3:56 ↑16:07	↓9:57 ↓22:17
Thu 6		↑20:28 ↓7:55	↑5:29 ↓18:00	↑4:36 ↑16:48	↓10:38 ↓22:55
Fri 7		↑21:06 ↓8:40	↑5:29 ↓18:00	↑5:16 ↑17:28	↓11:18 ↓23:32
Sat 8		↑21:43 ↓9:25	↑5:29 ↓17:59	↑5:54 ↑18:07	↓11:57 ↓
		Fiesta Ciudad Colon (San Carlos) – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Sun 9		↑22:20 ↓10:09	↑5:29 ↓17:59	↑6:32 ↑18:47	↓0:09 ↓12:37
Mon 10		↑22:59 ↓10:54	↑5:30 ↓17:59	↑7:12 ↑19:30	↓0:46 ↓13:18
Tue 11		↑23:40 ↓11:40	↑5:30 ↓17:58	↑7:54 ↑20:17	↓1:26 ↓14:03
Wed 12		↑23:40 ↓12:28	↑5:30 ↓17:58	↑8:40 ↑21:11	↓2:10 ↓14:54
Thu 13		↑0:24 ↓13:19	↑5:30 ↓17:57	↑9:33 ↑22:13	↓3:00 ↓15:52
Fri 14		↑1:12 ↓14:13	↑5:30 ↓17:57	↑10:33 ↑23:17	↓3:59 ↓16:54
Sat 15		↑2:05 ↓15:09	↑5:30 ↓17:56	↑11:34 ↑	↓5:03 ↓17:54
		Día de la Madre, Feast of the Assumption – Mother’s day is a national bank, school and business holiday in Costa Rica
Sun 16		↑3:01 ↓16:05	↑5:30 ↓17:56	↑0:17 ↑12:32	↓6:06 ↓18:49
Mon 17		↑4:00 ↓17:01	↑5:30 ↓17:55	↑1:10 ↑13:24	↓7:03 ↓19:39
Tue 18		↑5:00 ↓17:54	↑5:30 ↓17:55	↑1:58 ↑14:13	↓7:55 ↓20:25
Wed 19		↑5:59 ↓18:45	↑5:30 ↓17:54	↑2:44 ↑15:00	↓8:44 ↓21:09
		Fiesta Pattronale Aserri – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Thu 20		↑6:57 ↓19:34	↑5:30 ↓17:54	↑3:28 ↑15:45	↓9:31 ↓21:52
Fri 21		↑7:54 ↓20:21	↑5:30 ↓17:54	↑4:11 ↑16:30	↓10:17 ↓22:37
Sat 22		↑8:50 ↓21:08	↑5:30 ↓17:53	↑4:56 ↑17:17	↓11:03 ↓23:21
Sun 23		↑9:46 ↓21:56	↑5:30 ↓17:52	↑5:42 ↑18:05	↓11:51 ↓
Mon 24		↑10:43 ↓22:45	↑5:30 ↓17:52	↑6:30 ↑18:55	↓0:08 ↓12:42
		National Parks Day – Special events in the major National Parks around Costa Rica
Tue 25		↑11:40 ↓23:37	↑5:30 ↓17:51	↑7:22 ↑19:51	↓0:57 ↓13:36
Wed 26		↑12:38 ↓23:37	↑5:30 ↓17:51	↑8:19 ↑20:54	↓1:51 ↓14:35
Thu 27		↑13:36 ↓0:30	↑5:30 ↓17:50	↑9:22 ↑22:03	↓2:52 ↓15:42
Fri 28		↑14:32 ↓1:26	↑5:30 ↓17:50	↑10:31 ↑23:16	↓4:02 ↓16:54
Sat 29		↑15:26 ↓2:22	↑5:30 ↓17:49	↑11:41 ↑	↓5:17 ↓18:04
Sun 30		↑16:16 ↓3:17	↑5:30 ↓17:49	↑0:24 ↑12:44	↓6:27 ↓19:04
Mon 31		↑17:03 ↓4:10	↑5:30 ↓17:48	↑1:21 ↑13:38	↓7:26 ↓19:55
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean

Calendar Legend

Averages for the month

• Approximate exchange rate
• General weather pattern for each half of the country
  
• Average surf wave height for each coast
  

Shown for each day

• The phase of the moon, and the moon and sun rise and set times for planning turtle viewing or a night hike (best under the dark skies of a new moon when nocturnal animals are most active).
• Times for each high and low tide along the outer Pacific coast (gulfs and bays vary). Average height 8 feet (2.5 meters).
  Not intended for navigation.
• Tides on the east coast occur about 2 hours earlier. However, the average height is only 8 inches (0.2 meters) so levels in the Caribbean Sea do not significantly impact most activities.
• Natural events are shown as shaded icons for quetzals (nesting), turtles (nesting), and humpback whales (calving) on each coast.
  
• The more solid color shown the more likely the event, the more shaded the less likely.
  
• Baby turtles hatch (usually at night) after approximately 50-70 days incubation so look for nesting activity on the calendar two months prior to your visit if you’d like to see the little ones popping out of the sand..
• Holidays – Bold indicates a government & bank holiday when most businesses are closed and buses may run on limited schedules.
• Fiesta and local festival dates are approximate – most include events spread over a week or two so check the schedule locally for more information.